To answer requires more space than is available here. But if you'd like a textbook case on the former, look no further than Les Folies. Its enduring success is attributable to several key factors: lovely décor, welcoming ambiance, professional and polished service, and an attractive menu featuring dishes that are inventive as well as dishes that are classics.

Throw in uncompromisingly superior ingredients, a great wine list, and a chef who proves his skill and artistry consistently, and what do you have?

A successful restaurant.

When someone comes all the way from Australia, you definitely want to pull out all the stops and impress the visitor with what our fair city has to offer. Ergo, a trip to Les Folies.

After toasts (with their usual hefty and well-mixed cocktails), we began the process of selecting our respective first courses. The fact that the evening was damp and chilly gave license to order such delicacies as snails and sausages.

The Escargots de Bourgogne ($11) are always a crowd pleaser, with the delectably tender gastropods served in their shells bathed with garlic butter. Les Folies proffers an A-plus breadbasket, so there's no excuse for any drop of the garlic butter to go unsopped.

Sauccison Chaud sur Salade de Lentilles ($8.50) was a hit, with everyone at the table savoring their apportioned morsels. The warm garlic sausage was tender and popping with flavor, served atop a lentil cake drizzled with vinaigrette. Excellent in concept, in preparation and in presentation.

Les Moules Provençale ($9) featured very fresh, very plump mussels served with garlic butter and a smattering of breadcrumbs strewn on top. This dish allows the mussels to be the star, just as it should be.

Our visitor not only ordered the Saumon Fumé a l'Huile d'Olive et Citron ($13.50) but did a creditable job of ordering it in French. The smoked salmon here, dressed minimally with olive oil and lemon and served with thin slices of a hearty bread, would be good in any language.

Two veal dishes, one from the regular menu and one from the list of specials, caught the attention of four members of our party.

The Escalopes de Veau a la Crème ($26) is from the regular menu and featured thin slices of veal steak with plenty of mushrooms in a restrained cream sauce. A cloud of perfect pureéd potatoes and some sautéed snow peas accompanied. (I've ordered that dish so often that I expect to see representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records lurking about waiting to take my photograph.)

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Veal Loin with Girolles Mushrooms and Madeira Sauce ($36) was the highlight of the evening's special main course offerings. When you begin with a sizable portion of really good veal, then point it up with delicate chanterelles (the more common name for girolles) and a mouth-watering Madeira sauce, you have something that truly deserves the descriptor "special."

The final member of our party opted for the Pasta Primavera ($21), a light dish studded with green vegetables and with plenty of good quality Parmesan. The pasta was cooked to the right degree, but the dish was no longer the optimal steaming hot by the time it arrived at the table. Tasty nevertheless.

So much for resolutions about sweets. All that went out the window as we finished off the second bottle of a remarkable Beaujolais, the Moulin a Vent (If you don't let your guests see the wine list, they'll think you paid far more than $38) and studied the dessert offerings.

We always enjoy the soufflés at Les Folies, but had forgotten to order them when we placed our order for main courses. Actually, it might have been a blessing in disguise because we were able to try some different desserts this time.

The Dacquoise (Hazelnut Cream Cake) was accented with a fruity raspberry sauce, and the Bavarois (Cassis and white chocolate mousse) was served with a crème Anglaise sauce. Both ($9.50) were scrumptious.

Whether you order from the regular menu (filled with tried and true Gallic treats), or from the daily specials (what's fresh, what's seasonal, what's local); whether you order a vegetarian dish (pistou, pasta primavera, etc.); or something gluten-free (ask the servers, they're knowledgeable), you're sure to see for yourself what makes Les Folies so successful.

A FINAL NOTE: With all the good restaurants in Atlanta, why would someone drive an hour south to eat in Forsyth, Georgia?

Grits Café would be the reason.

For lunch, $8 will buy you a plate of pulled pork with pimento cheese ravioli and homemade pickles.